GOEX Reenactor Powder

I've got a flintlock musket on the way, which I understand will require REAL black powder to function reliably. All that is available locally is Pyrodex or other substitute products, so I'll have to put in an order for at least 5 pounds and get it shipped, and pay the Hazmat fee. The least expensive powder I've seen is the Goex Reenactor, which I understand is a mix of various grain sizes, mostly intended for use in blanks. Has anyone used Reenactor powder in a flintlock, and how does it function?

They're supposed to be building one here in Jacksonville in the next year or so, but right now the closest one is in Ft. Lauderdale, about a 5-hour drive south. A couple of the local harware and gun stores used to carry GOEX, but the new Federal paperwork for handling "explosives" made it not worth their while for the volume they sold.

Patocazador

April 12, 2013, 05:12 PM

There's one in Orlando.

GCBurner

April 12, 2013, 05:25 PM

I'll give them a call. It's only a little over 2 hours away, and I'll be heading down there in May.

Steel Horse Rider

April 12, 2013, 05:43 PM

Are you going to shoot blanks or the real things? If you are going to shoot projectiles you may as well get some 2F. I prime with 4F but I don't know if that is necessary, or maybe you could get some 4F for the pan and use the Pyrodex as the main charge. A pound of priming pwder should last quite a while.

mykeal

April 12, 2013, 06:16 PM

use the Pyrodex as the main charge
Nope. That's the problem: substitute powders as the main charge are unreliable in flintlocks.

GeoEmeritus

April 12, 2013, 06:20 PM

Hodgdon loading notes says to use 5 grains ffffg under the pyrodex charge in flintlocks and reduce the pyrodex by 5 grains to compensate. Check out their website. I have not used pyrodex myself, but the way California is treating BP I may have to in the future.

GCBurner

April 12, 2013, 06:54 PM

I've been forced to shift to Pyrodex in the percussion guns, just because it's the only thing available locally. It's clearly going to be a bit more effort to run a flintlock with real blackpowder.

BlackNet

April 12, 2013, 07:16 PM

Technically flintlocks are easier to run than percussion. Once you order the powder in some what bulk quantities then you are set. Some have been able to get decent results with sub powder in flints but they tend to be unreliable and very problematic. The problem in percussion is in the cap itself.

Even obtaining 5, 10 or even 25 pounds of powder should not be that difficult unless you live in some commie area and it is impossible to ship in. Pooling together for a 25 or 50 pound powder order is not unheard of by no means.

Me personally I dislike sub powder as the smell is off.

bpshooter13

April 12, 2013, 10:26 PM

If your flintlock is .50 cal or lower I would try Goex fffG for both charge and priming.

.50, as I understand, is a borderline calibre. Higher and you need to go to ffG for charge and ffffG for the priming pan but .50 or lower in a rifle you will be OK with fffG for both although many suggest ffffG for priming pan.

I ordered from Jack's Powder Keg and found their service and pricing to be great. I ordered their minimum order which might be a larger quantity than you are interested in purchasing but I shoot a lot of the holy black!
http://www.jackspowderkeg.com/

rodinal220

April 12, 2013, 11:58 PM

https://www.powderinc.com/index.html

BlackNet

April 13, 2013, 12:31 PM

If your flintlock is .50 cal or lower I would try Goex fffG for both charge and priming.

.50, as I understand, is a borderline calibre. Higher and you need to go to ffG for charge and ffffG for the priming pan but .50 or lower in a rifle you will be OK with fffG for both although many suggest ffffG for priming pan.

Uhm Possible, however on the borderline bit. Really does NOT make a difference if it is a 50 cal flint or not, flint is flint is flint, as for grain size see below chart, which for 50 cal would be 2F and 3F.

I set up an account with Grafs, and will be putting in an order from there. Their prices are reasonable, and I can mix types, instead of having to order a five-pound minimum of a single grade. If I could buy locally, I'd just need a pound of 1F and a pound of 4F priming powder at a time, and no HazMat charge for cash and carry. I don't mind getting a five-pound order while it's available, though; it might not be there next year.

Texan Scott

April 15, 2013, 12:26 AM

Not that 25 lbs of reenactor powder doesn't have its uses, like stump removal or fishing... :p

swathdiver

April 15, 2013, 03:27 AM

Graf's is a great choice. Allows you to, as you said, mix and match and you'll need 2F and 4F and maybe even some 1F for your new acquisition. Graf's showed Olde Eynsford in stock the other day too.

Down in Orlando, Buffalo Bills sells Goex for about $25 a pound last summer when I was there.

BlackNet

April 15, 2013, 06:03 AM

anyone know the grain size on this? Cant seem to find any references.

Loyalist Dave

April 15, 2013, 07:38 AM

The "reenactor powder" is simply not as uniform as the better grades of GOEX, so you could have some variations in muzzle velocity, which won't mess with recreational shooting of round ball, and at smooth bore ranges, will do fine on deer. It's not a cheaper formula or floor sweepings or anything bad. It is not strictly for blanks either. It is made to reduce the overall cost as many reenactors shoot about a pound of powder per weekend reenactment, and the costs add up at that rate. Standard GOEX if I attend one event a month will run me $277.00 a year, while reenactor powder will run me $144.00.

Now if you are shooting in a competition, and you are going out to 100 yards, AND the difference between shooting an X vs. hitting the 9 or 8 ring will mean the difference between taking home a prize or not..., you then need much more uniform powder.

You don't need 4Fg for a musket..., in fact unless it's a small lock, you don't need it for rifles from .50 caliber and up. Muskets were built with the idea of using a uniform granulation of powder for both main charge and prime. You could shoot 70 grains of reenactor powder (2.5 drams) or go up to 80 grains (3 drams) and it will be fine. You can use the same powder for the prime.

LD

Mike OTDP

April 16, 2013, 01:53 PM

Do yourself a favor. Don't use 4F priming powder if you can get Swiss Null B. It's about 7F, and gives significantly faster ignition.

BlackNet

April 16, 2013, 02:08 PM

Do yourself a favor. Don't use 4F priming powder if you can get Swiss Null B. It's about 7F, and gives significantly faster ignition.

Mike, you mean this thread?
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=712144

GCBurner

April 22, 2013, 08:35 PM

Grafs seems to be getting caught up on their backlog of orders. I got the email today that my order from April 15 has shipped. Two pounds of 1F, two pounds of 2F, and one pound of 4F are on their way. :)

BlackNet

April 22, 2013, 09:26 PM

I recently did an order from grafs, took around 2 weeks to get them in. I ordered 2 boxes of 000 buck. I saw that Grafs had swiss but did not see Null-B :( which is very sad.

the Black Spot

April 23, 2013, 11:20 AM

I have a .50 cal and use 3f for main load and priming with no problems